B-52s To Be Split From B-1B Lancers

The Air Force will stand up a new major command specifically to
manage its nuclear assets, the service's top official announced
Friday.

Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley said the new command will
fold into its ranks thousands of airmen and all of the Air Force's
domestic nuclear capabilities in response to what he called
"painful lessons learned" during a series of senior oversight
reviews of the Air Force's nuclear program.

This change is part of a broader sweep of changes Donley
introduced as a roadmap to improving the Air Force's stewardship of
its nuclear program. "This is a critical milestone for us. It's a
new starting point for reinvigoration of this enterprise," Donley
said at a Pentagon media roundtable to introduce the plan.

"The changes we make today will help us focus on this enterprise
regardless of other changes in Air Force missions along the way,
and regardless of how big or small the nuclear enterprise is," he
said.

The new command, called Global Strike Command, will include both
the 8th and 20th Air Force. Eighth Air Force, currently within Air
Combat Command, is made up of the force's B-2 Spirit and B-52
Stratofortress bombers. The 20th Air Force, currently under Air
Force Space Command, maintains and operates the service's arsenal
of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Eighth Air Force's
headquarters is at Barksdale Air Force Base, LA and 20th Air
Force's headquarters is at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, WY.

An additional squadron of B-52s, mandated by Congress, also will
fall within the new command.

This change effectively splits the Air Force's bomber force,
leaving its B-1 Lancer bombers with Air Combat Command. It also
moves the cyber and intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance
responsibilities out of 8th Air Force.

"It was our conclusion that a major command that did space,
cyber and nuclear perhaps was too much for a single organization to
address with the necessary focus," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.
Norman A. Schwartz.

Management of nuclear-capable aircraft assigned to Europe will
not fall under the new command, officials said.

A three-star general will lead the new command, Donley said.
Officials have not yet picked a location for the command's
headquarters or identified who its commander will be, but said they
plan to name a provisional commander in the next few months. Donley
said he plans to have the command operational by September.

The force's top two leaders resigned, and 15 senior officers,
including six generals, were disciplined.

The new roadmap, Donley said, addresses longstanding, systemic
problems in the force's handling of nuclear assets. The plan
addresses structural changes within the force, changes in its
processes and procedures and a change within its culture, he
said.

One of the problems identified in recent reports was in the
force's nuclear inspection process. The secretary said the Air
Force did not have consistent policies in place with consistent
interpretations across commands, and needed a stronger oversight of
the inspection process.

"We were not getting out of our inspection process what we
need," Donley said, noting he has moved those responsibilities
under the force's inspector general, who will oversee all inspector
training and certification. Also, a new Air Force headquarters
staff directorate will be formed to provide oversight of nuclear
issues within the force, Donley said.

The Air Force secretary also announced establishment of a
nuclear oversight board at the headquarters level that he will
chair with Schwartz.

Schwartz joined the roundtable via teleconference from Iraq,
where he is visiting deployed airmen.

"While today's fight is vitally important to our Air Force, the
capabilities that we provide in support of our nation's nuclear
deterrent force is just as, if not more, important," he said. "The
nation trusts us to provide them safely and securely."

Schwartz said the roadmap provides a "back to basics" approach
for accountably, compliance, precision and reliability.

The Air Forces also plans to rebuild its nuclear expertise
within its ranks of airmen through training and career development,
and officials said they plan to invest more heavily in the mission
as it modernizes its nuclear capabilities.

The Air Force spent about $85 million in the last fiscal year
revamping its nuclear program. It expects to spend about $270
million in fiscal 2009, officials said.